Thursday, August 02, 2012

The Biggest Rounds are Yet to Come

The next two rounds will create the
huge open eye of the feather, and then the killer round—when 9
stitches are worked in the double yarn over (a net increase of 8
stitches per motif).

These last 25 or so rounds, will be,
by number of stitches, about 25% of the shawl. The shawl doesn't
progress is strict geometrical order, and the percentage of stitches
(in any round) aren't easy to figure.. but it doesn't take much of a
mathematician's to figure it out. I started with 10 stitches in a
round.. and didn't consistently go over 500 stitches per round till
chart 3.

Now I am at 940—the next round adds
another 120 (1060) and then the killer round adds 8 stitches per
motif (there are 60 feather motifs in this final ring) and brings the
stitch count to 1560.You can see the base of the feather motif as the triangle of stocking knit (2 motifs between each marker)

Unlike the feathers motifs in previous
charts, that were shaped with decreases in the feathers (and net decreases in the stitch count) —In this final ring, the
spaces between the feathers are lace (not stocking knit) and the lace
is a giant wedge that get bigger each round--the stitch count remains
stable at 1560—the feather has decreases, the lace wedge fan has
increases and they balance each other out.

But I am happy
with my progress this past week—and while the huge stitch count per
round will be a challenge—it will be tempered by the appearance of
the eye and feather, and fancy lacy between each feather. It will be
a wonderful knitting. The last few rounds of the stems --(basiclly the same round repeated over 20 times) were pretty boring!

I had errands to
run yesterday—Car inspection for one—and didn't want to bring the
shawl with me, so a pair of socks were cast on. I haven't decided
yet if these are public socks, or secret ones.. So for now they are
secret—Yes, I am knitting socks. But how, (toe up, top down or some
novel way), in what color, and with what yarn, using what stitch
pattern? Not being disclosed. Let's just leave it at socks.